File storage and sharing
Google Drive vs OneDrive: which keeps data in Canada?
Where each stores and processes data, and who owns each company, from the vendors' own pages. Not features or prices.
The short answer
Google Drive (Google Workspace): no.
Google Drive (Google Workspace) does not offer storage in Canada. Where it is processed: United States or Europe if set. It is owned by a US company, so the US CLOUD Act can require it to produce data it controls, wherever that data is stored.
Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint: yes.
For Canadian customers, Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint stores data in Canada. Where it is processed: Not covered by the at-rest commitment. It is owned by a US company, so the US CLOUD Act can require it to produce data it controls, wherever that data is stored.
Both are owned by US companies, so the US CLOUD Act can require either to produce data it controls, wherever that data is stored.
Side by side
| Claim | Google Drive (Google Workspace) | Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint |
|---|---|---|
| Stored in Canada? | No | Yes |
| Where data is stored | No Canadian data region. Data regions offered: United States, Europe, or no preference | Canada, for tenants provisioned in Canada: SharePoint site content and OneDrive files stored at rest only in the Canada geography (Microsoft Product Terms) |
| Where it is processed | United States or Europe if set | Not covered by the at-rest commitment |
| Support and backups | Not stated on the pages read | Not stated on the pages read |
| Owner | Google LLC (Mountain View, CA) · Parent country: United States | Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA) · Parent country: United States |
| Servers run by | Google data centres · US company | Microsoft data centres in Canada · US company |
| Customer-held keys | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Certifications | Not recorded (blank means not checked, not none) | CCCS Medium (Microsoft 365 is in Microsoft's assessed scope) |
| Worth knowing | — | Contractual at-rest commitment in Microsoft's Product Terms. |
| Caveats | — | Schools and universities: for an Office 365 Education tenant without the Advanced Data Residency for Education add-on, Microsoft "may provision Customer's Office 365 Education tenant in, transfer Customer Data to, and store Customer Data at rest anywhere within the European Union or North America" (Product Terms language, checked 2026-10-15). |
| Tier | Tier 5: Data leaves Canada | Tier 4: US-owned, Canadian region |
| Checked | 2026-10-13 | 2026-10-15 |
- Does Google Drive (Google Workspace) store data in Canada? The full listing · Canadian alternatives to Google Drive (Google Workspace)
- Does Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint store data in Canada? The full listing · Canadian alternatives to Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint
- Every file storage service listed
Sources
Google Drive (Google Workspace) · checked 2026-10-13
- Where the data is stored: https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/compliance/choose-a-geographic-location-for-your-data
- Who owns it: https://cloud.google.com/terms/google-entity